3) Republicans shut down the government and Bogart the debt ceiling

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

Republicans made a massive miscalculation when they assumed that Obama's hardball tactics on the debt ceiling were just posturing. By playing a game of brinkmanship with the country's credit, the tea party wing of the Republican Party spooked the traditional pro-business wing and set the stage for some very bitter primaries in 2014. Meanwhile, shutting down the government confirmed the perception of an already skeptical public that Republicans were not interested in governing. And again, the Republican House opened the door for Democratic challengers in moderate districts to step up in 2014 with lines like: "I don't agree with President Obama on everything, but I'd rather negotiate with him on how we can make things better than just shut everything down." In short, Republicans gave Democrats the win that Democrats couldn't score for themselves. MORE YEAR IN REVIEW:Politicians' lamest apologies in 201312 political photos that made us look twice Kindness in the world of politics? 7 uplifting examples from 2013

Republicans made a massive miscalculation when they assumed that Obama's hardball tactics on the debt ceiling were just posturing. By playing a game of brinkmanship with the country's credit, the tea party wing of the Republican Party spooked the traditional pro-business wing and set the stage for some very bitter primaries in 2014. Meanwhile, shutting down the government confirmed the perception of an already skeptical public that Republicans were not interested in governing. And again, the Republican House opened the door for Democratic challengers in moderate districts to step up in 2014 with lines like: "I don't agree with President Obama on everything, but I'd rather negotiate with him on how we can make things better than just shut everything down." In short, Republicans gave Democrats the win that Democrats couldn't score for themselves. MORE YEAR IN REVIEW:Politicians' lamest apologies in 201312 political photos that made us look twice Kindness in the world of politics? 7 uplifting examples from 2013 (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)

Republicans made a massive miscalculation when they assumed that Obama's hardball tactics on the debt ceiling were just posturing. By playing a game of brinkmanship with the country's credit, the tea party wing of the Republican Party spooked the traditional pro-business wing and set the stage for some very bitter primaries in 2014. Meanwhile, shutting down the government confirmed the perception of an already skeptical public that Republicans were not interested in governing. And again, the Republican House opened the door for Democratic challengers in moderate districts to step up in 2014 with lines like: "I don't agree with President Obama on everything, but I'd rather negotiate with him on how we can make things better than just shut everything down." In short, Republicans gave Democrats the win that Democrats couldn't score for themselves. MORE YEAR IN REVIEW:Politicians' lamest apologies in 201312 political photos that made us look twice Kindness in the world of politics? 7 uplifting examples from 2013